Sitting here enjoying the last bottle of my cider experiment I started back in October. The first attempt was done with myself and the GF both making 1gallon using two different yeast. The experiment would have gone great if we had carbonated properly but as it happens we didn't mix well enough and sadly both batches were sacrificed. I said to hell with it grabbed some things from the LHBS and grocery across the street and made what not only surprised me in the end and gained some praise from the owner of said LHBS but it got my fathers approval which meant the world, especially when I can offer it as proof that I'm not brewing prison hooch as he once thought.
This is the recipe and summary of the brewing. I wanted to share for a few reasons, firstly to possibly get some tips if any can be offered as well as share something that can be brewed on the cheap. So enjoy and comments welcome. Plan on doing a full 5gal batch when I can get some cider and a free carboy, which should be when my caramel apple mead and DUNE cyser finish up. Enjoy!
Caramel Apple Hard Cider
1pckt Nottingham Ale yeast
2gal Lighthouse apple cider
Fermaid K
brown sugar
Dextrose sugar
Torina caramel sugar free syrup
10/10/12
Gravity off of the cider was 1.050, added 2 cups brown sugar bringing gravity up to 1.080. Rehydrated yeast per packet instructions, added yeast nutrient, pitched and moved to a warm comfortable spot to ferment for two weeks.
10/24/12
Cider fermented out nicely to 1.000, racked off of lees and split into two 1gal carboys. Left to sit undisturbed for 44 days.
12/7/12
Bottling day. Cider was very crisp with a strong upfront apple bite, not too dry. I debated how to get a good caramel flavor in this and decided the best method at the time was to use a sugar free non fermentable syrup. To figure out how much to add I took a 1cup sample of the cider and added 1tsp of syrup. I found the 1tsp had enough caramel character that the apple itself wasn't covered up, it wasn't overpowering or sweet. It gave a nice scent atop the apple and added a real nice background flavor that lingered after each taste. So for 1gal some lucky person not myself got to measure out roughly 15 teaspoons( 16 cups of cider, 1 teaspoon per cup minus the 1 cup sample god I hate math). Racked the cider to a brewing bucket and stirred in the caramel syrup, reserving the original cup used to test syrup. Using the saved 1cup of cider it was heated up and 1/3rd cup priming sugar added and dissolved. Once cooled this was added to the cider and carefully mixed then bottled.
12/22/12
Checked carbonation. Nice loud POP, no bottle bombs, no cider volcano. Happy with the results I put that bottle in the fridge for an official tasting. The nottingham was a great choice, it gave the cider a good mouth feel, nice body and crystal clear. Perfect carbonation, the head retained well before creating a perfect ring of bubbles around the glass that lingered through the whole glass. The caramel though not at the forefront was a very nice hint your nose catches right off the bat but is nowhere to be found initially until after each sip. My GF added 1tsp more of syrup to her glass before pouring and found it added a bit more of the flavor but still not enough to render it "sweet". Everyone seemed to prefer it straight from the bottle. We were lucky to have a 'white' christmas this year once again in Washington so the bottles were moved outside and given their own comfy hole in the snow to cold crash in. Was glad to serve this on christmas day, thankfully the stuff hits you like a freight train otherwise more bottles would have vanished.
3/9/13
Last bottle of the 2gal batch and I wish I had managed to save/brew more of this stuff. It definitely improved with age. The caramel flavor hasn't really faded. The crispness is a bit mellow now. Still catch whiffs of the caramel. Very much enjoyed and a small service will be held when the last sip is taken.
This is the recipe and summary of the brewing. I wanted to share for a few reasons, firstly to possibly get some tips if any can be offered as well as share something that can be brewed on the cheap. So enjoy and comments welcome. Plan on doing a full 5gal batch when I can get some cider and a free carboy, which should be when my caramel apple mead and DUNE cyser finish up. Enjoy!
Caramel Apple Hard Cider
1pckt Nottingham Ale yeast
2gal Lighthouse apple cider
Fermaid K
brown sugar
Dextrose sugar
Torina caramel sugar free syrup
10/10/12
Gravity off of the cider was 1.050, added 2 cups brown sugar bringing gravity up to 1.080. Rehydrated yeast per packet instructions, added yeast nutrient, pitched and moved to a warm comfortable spot to ferment for two weeks.
10/24/12
Cider fermented out nicely to 1.000, racked off of lees and split into two 1gal carboys. Left to sit undisturbed for 44 days.
12/7/12
Bottling day. Cider was very crisp with a strong upfront apple bite, not too dry. I debated how to get a good caramel flavor in this and decided the best method at the time was to use a sugar free non fermentable syrup. To figure out how much to add I took a 1cup sample of the cider and added 1tsp of syrup. I found the 1tsp had enough caramel character that the apple itself wasn't covered up, it wasn't overpowering or sweet. It gave a nice scent atop the apple and added a real nice background flavor that lingered after each taste. So for 1gal some lucky person not myself got to measure out roughly 15 teaspoons( 16 cups of cider, 1 teaspoon per cup minus the 1 cup sample god I hate math). Racked the cider to a brewing bucket and stirred in the caramel syrup, reserving the original cup used to test syrup. Using the saved 1cup of cider it was heated up and 1/3rd cup priming sugar added and dissolved. Once cooled this was added to the cider and carefully mixed then bottled.
12/22/12
Checked carbonation. Nice loud POP, no bottle bombs, no cider volcano. Happy with the results I put that bottle in the fridge for an official tasting. The nottingham was a great choice, it gave the cider a good mouth feel, nice body and crystal clear. Perfect carbonation, the head retained well before creating a perfect ring of bubbles around the glass that lingered through the whole glass. The caramel though not at the forefront was a very nice hint your nose catches right off the bat but is nowhere to be found initially until after each sip. My GF added 1tsp more of syrup to her glass before pouring and found it added a bit more of the flavor but still not enough to render it "sweet". Everyone seemed to prefer it straight from the bottle. We were lucky to have a 'white' christmas this year once again in Washington so the bottles were moved outside and given their own comfy hole in the snow to cold crash in. Was glad to serve this on christmas day, thankfully the stuff hits you like a freight train otherwise more bottles would have vanished.
3/9/13
Last bottle of the 2gal batch and I wish I had managed to save/brew more of this stuff. It definitely improved with age. The caramel flavor hasn't really faded. The crispness is a bit mellow now. Still catch whiffs of the caramel. Very much enjoyed and a small service will be held when the last sip is taken.
